The Three Battle Grounds Series Francis Frangipane.
The Three battle Grounds • Sermon • Submitted
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10 The Gift Of Discernment
10 The Gift Of Discernment
47 And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
16 For Who has ever intimately known the mind of the Lord Yahweh well enough to become his counselor? Christ has, and we possess Christ’s perceptions.
10 THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT
The Spirit will speak in dreams, visions, and prophetic words, but much of what will be revealed will actually come through our capacity to perceive correctly. The Scriptures tell us that Jesus perceived the thoughts of men "in His Spirit. " So also with us, if we will move in divine discernment, our view of life must be purged of human thoughts and reactions.
To DISCERN, YOU CANNOT JUDGE
The beginning of true discernment will not come until we crucify our instincts to judge. This takes many months, and usually years, of uprooting all thought-systems that have not been planted in the divine soil of faith and love for people.
To appropriate the discernment which is in the "mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16), we must first find the heart of Christ.
The heart and love of Jesus is summed up in His own words: "I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world" (John 12:47).
Spiritual discernment is the grace to see into the unseen.
It is a gift of the Spirit to perceive what is in the spirit. Its purpose is to see into the nature of that which is veiled. But the first veil which must be removed is the veil over our own hearts. We must see ourselves and the measure of our need. For the capacity to see into that which is outside comes from Christ revealing that which is inside. Jesus demands we understand our own need of His mercy so that, out of the grace which we have received, we can compassionately minister to others. In this process, we will discover the depravity and selfishness of our carnal nature. We will know thoroughly that the gift of discernment is not a faculty of our minds.
We must ever be conscious that Christ's goal is to save, not judge. We are called to navigate the narrow and well-hidden hidden path into the true nature of men's needs. If we would truly help men, we must remember, we are following a Lamb. This foundation must be laid correctly, for if you will discern, you cannot react. To perceive, you must make yourself blind to what seems apparent. People may react to you, but you cannot react to them. You must always remain forgiving in nature, for the demons you would cast out will speak to you in the voice of the man, masquerading as the man himself.
For this very reason Jesus said, "Everyone who will speak a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him" (Luke 12:10). Jesus was prepared in His heart to forgive men before they ever sinned against Him. He knew His mission was to die for men, not condemn them.
We are not only called into Christ's life but into His mission as well. Jesus said, "As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them" (John 17:18).
If God will show us the hearts of men, and use us to release them from captivity, we cannot react to what they say. As our perception becomes more like Christ Himself and men's hearts are revealed to us, we cannot even react to what they think, If we do not move in divine forgiveness, we will walk in much deception. We will presume we have discernment when, in truth, we are seeing through the veil of a
"critical spirit."
1 expressing adverse or disapproving comments or judgments:
We must know our weaknesses, for if we are blind to our sins,
what we assume we discern in men will merely be the reflection of ourselves.
Indeed, if we do not move in love, we will actually become a menace to the body of Christ. This is exactly what Jesus taught when He said: Do not judge, lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.
1 DO NOT judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves.
2 For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you.
3 Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother’s eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye?
4 Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam of timber in your own eye?
5 You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother’s eye.
Repentance is the removal of the "logs" within our vision; it is the true beginning of seeing clearly.
Ask your neighbor have you removed any logs lately?
There are many who suppose they are receiving the Lord's discernment concerning one thing or another. Perhaps in some things they are; only God knows. But many are simply judging others and calling it discernment.
final point: go hard!!
THE GOAL Is To SEE CLEARLY
15 It’s true that all is pure to those who have pure hearts, but to the corrupt unbelievers nothing is pure. Their minds and consciences are defiled.
15 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.
The judgmental carnal mind always sees the image of itself in others. Without realizing it is seeing itself, it assumes it is perceiving others. Jesus refers to the person who judges as a "hypocrite."
Easton’s Bible Dictionary Hypocrite
HYPOCRITE—one who puts on a mask and feigns himself to be what he is not; a dissembler in religion. Our Lord severely rebuked the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16). “The hypocrite’s hope shall perish” (Job 8:13). The Hebrew word here rendered “hypocrite” rather means the “godless” or “profane,” as it is rendered in Jer. 23:11, i.e., polluted with crimes.
The Lord is not saying we should totally stop thinking about people.
He wants us to be able to help one another. The emphasis in Jesus' command to "not judge" is summarized in His concluding remark:
"First take the log out of your own eye, and THEN you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
The way we help is not by judging but by seeing clearly!
And we do not see clearly until we have been through deep and thorough repentance, until the instinct to judge after the flesh is uprooted!
We have seen that Jesus paralleled speaking to people about their sins with taking specks out of their eyes. The eye is the most tender, most sensitive part of the human body.
How do you take a speck out of someone's eye?
Very carefully! You must win their trust. This means consistently demonstrating an attitude that does not judge, that will not instinctively condemn.
To help people, we must see clearly. We must be able to see where a person's vision is obstructed, develop trust between us and remove their "speck" without judging or condemning them.
If you seek to have a heart that does not condemn, if you truly crucify your instinct to judge, you will have laid a true foundation for the gift of discernment, for you will have prepared your heart to receive the dreams, visions, and insights from God. You will be unstained by human bias and corruption
1 “Refuse to be a critic full of bias toward others, and judgment will not be passed on you.
2 For you’ll be judged by the same standard that you’ve used to judge others. The measurement you use on them will be used on you.
3 Why would you focus on the flaw in someone else’s life and yet fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own?
4 How could you say to your friend, ‘Let me show you where you’re wrong,’ when you’re guilty of even more?
5 You’re being hypercritical and a hypocrite! First acknowledge your own ‘blind spots’ and deal with them, and then you’ll be capable of dealing with the ‘blind spot’ of your friend.
Why Do We Need A Spiritual Eye Exam
Eye Exams determine your vision in your left and right eye.
And depending on Your Blood it could effect your sight.
If you have high blood sugar
If you have high blood pressure
If You have the Blood of Jesus
Regular Exams are necessary
5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified.
40 Let us test and examine our ways, and let us return to the Lord!
5 Now, therefore, thus says the Lord of Hosts: Consider your ways.
6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes.
7 Thus says the Lord of Hosts: Consider your ways.
4 But let every person carefully scrutinize and examine and test his own conduct and his own work. He can then have the personal satisfaction and joy of doing something commendable [in itself alone] without [resorting to] boastful comparison with his neighbor.
28 Let a man [thoroughly] examine himself, and [only when he has done] so should he eat of the bread and drink of the cup.
Matthew 7:3 Jesus says why focus on the flaws in someone else life and fail to notice the glaring flaws of your own.
Matthew 7:5 He calls us a hypocrite! And tells us to focus on our Own Blind Spots
Lord Show Me My Blind Spots
Francis Frangipane. The Three Battlegrounds (Kindle Locations 567-571). Kindle Edition.